18:53 Arab foreign ministers were to hold an emergency meeting on Sunday on the crisis in Syria, Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi said, after a Damascus bombing on Wednesday killed top security officials.

18:46 Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday met Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a bid to narrow the differences between Ankara and Moscow on the Syria conflict amid surging violence.

18:04 With President Bashar al-Assad's regime reeling from a bomb attack that killed three top commanders, the United States turned the screw government further Wednesday with sanctions against dozens of ministers.

18:01 Al-Jazeera television reported on Wednesday that helicopters opened fire on people in Damascus’ Jawbar neighborhood.

17:58 Sixty Syrian military personnel defected from the regime in Homs’ Deir Baalba, Al-Arabiya television quoted the Local Coordination Committees as saying.

17:37 Al-Arabiya television is broadcasting live footage of the deployment of the Free Syrian Army in the Al-Qadam neighborhood of Damascus.

17:46 Al-Arabiya television is broadcasting live footage of clashes between Syrian regime forces and rebels in Al-Hajjar al-Aswad neighborhood in Damascus.

17:40 Russia on Wednesday demanded the arrest and strict punishment of those behind a Damascus "act of terror" that killed three top Syrian security officials in a suicide bombing.

17:37 Al-Arabiya broadcasts live footage of deployment of Free Syrian Army members in Damascus’ neighborhood of Al-Qadam.

17:28 A UN Security Council vote scheduled for Wednesday on a western-drafted resolution calling for sanctions against Syria will probably be pushed back by at least one day, diplomats said.

17:27 Al-Arabiya is broadcasting live footage of anti-regime protests in Edleb.

17:23 A “celebratory” anti-regime protest started in the city of Tadef near Aleppo following the death of top Syrian officials earlier in the day. (S.N.N.)

17:22 US Vice President Joe Biden's national security adviser discussed the Syrian crisis and the threat of unrest spilling into nearby countries with Iraqi leaders on Wednesday, he told journalists.

17:11 Al-Arabiya is broadcasting images showing a “celebratory” anti-regime demonstration in Daraya in the Damascus district.

16:17 Syrian state TV is broadcasting live footage of clashes in the Al-Midan neighborhood in Damascus.

16:15 Syrian state television confirmed that General Hassan Turkmani, head of the regime's crisis cell, was among those killed in a bomb attack on National Security headquarters in Damascus on Wednesday.

16:03 General Zaki Lula defected Wednesday from the Syrian army, Al-Jazeera television reported.

15:56 German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the suicide attack in Damascus on Wednesday, that reportedly claimed the lives of top officials, underlined the "urgent" need for a new UN resolution on Syria.

15:52 Russia on Wednesday said a decisive battle was in progress in Syria and rejected a Western-backed UN resolution on the crisis as it would mean taking sides with a revolutionary movement.

15:47 A Syrian army commander in Damascus, Mohammad al-Bardan, defected along with the soldiers under his command, Al-Arabiya quoted activists as saying.

15:31 British Foreign Secretary William Hague said a suicide bombing that killed two top Syrian security officials on Wednesday showed the need for a UN resolution to end the crisis.

15:24 Syrian regime forces withdrew Wednesday from the Al-Midan neighborhood of Damascus, Al-Arabiya television quoted the Free Syrian Army as saying.

15:17Fahed Jassem al-Freige was appointed as a defense minister after death of Dawoud Rajiha in an explosion in Damascus, Syrian state TV reported.

15:09 Explosions hit the headquarters of the 4th battalion of the Syrian regime forces in Damascus, Al-Jazeera reported.

14:59 Syria will “continue fighting terrorism” after officials killed in a Damascus blast, AFP reported state TV as saying Wednesday.

14:49 France on Wednesday denounced Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad's struggle to stay in power as futile and raised concerns about mounting violence in the conflict-torn country.

14:45 A number of Palestinian refugees living in Damascus have joined the uprising in Syria, according to activists and rebels, with some taking up arms alongside rebel Free Syrian Army fighters.

14:41 Syria is tipping into chaos and collapse, and a strong UN Security Council stand is needed to push for the creation of a transition government, British Foreign Secretary William Hague said Wednesday.

14:33 Heavy clashes took place in Damascus neighborhoods, Al-Arabiya reported on Wednesday.

14:27 Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's brother-in-law was killed in a suicide bombing in Damascus on Wednesday that targeted National Security headquarters, state television said.

14:14 Syrian state TV on Wednesday denied that Interior Minister Mohammed al-Shaar was killed in the deadly explosion that rocked the heavily guarded National Security headquarters in Damascus.

14:11 Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday that a “decisive battle” was taking place in Syria, AFP reported.

14:09 A personal bodyguard of the “crisis team” detonated the explosive device in Damascus on Wednesday, an opposition spokesperson said.

13:55 Syrian Interior Minister Mohammad Ibrahim al-Shaar was killed in the explosion that targeted the National Security building in Damascus.

13:52 The rebel Free Syrian Army head has echoed fears that President Bashar al-Assad might resort to using chemical weapons to try to rescue his embattled regime, Al-Bayan newspaper reported on Wednesday.

13:12 Syrian Interior Minister Mohammad as-Shaar and Defense Minister Dawoud Rajiha are likely among the wounded in the explosion that hit the National Security building in Damascus, Al-Manar television reported.

13:06 The suicide attack that hit a Damascus security building targeted ministers and security officials, AFP reported Syrian state TV as saying Wednesday.

12:32 The death toll in Syria rose to 30 people on Wednesday, Al-Jazeera quoted activists as saying.

12:31 A Russian ship that tried to supply attack helicopters to Syria last month before being forced back will dock in Saint Petersburg in coming days, its owners said on Wednesday.

12:16 Four people were killed and 15 injured in the shelling of Daael in Daraa, Al-Arabiya quoted activists as saying on Wednesday.

12:03 Six-hundred refugees arrived in Turkey on Wednesday, including two defecting army generals, Al-Arabiya quoted an unnamed Turkish official as saying.

11:41 UN chief Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday urged the Security Council to act to stop the bloodshed in Syria, after holding talks with Chinese leaders in Beijing hours ahead of a vote on fresh sanctions.

11:38 Russian President Vladimir Putin was due Wednesday to meet Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to discuss differences on Syria as UN Security Council prepared to vote on the conflict.

11:15 Columns of black smoke rose over the Syrian capital on Wednesday after the city was hit by another night of clashes between rebels and forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad, an activist group said.

10:10 Thirteen people were killed in Syria on Wednesday, mostly in Homs and Daraa, Al-Arabiya quoted activists as saying.

8:59 MORNING LEADER: Rebels declared the battle to "liberate" Damascus has begun as heavy fighting raged across the city on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Russia said an agreement is possible for a UN resolution on the crisis and peace envoy Kofi Annan said the 16-month crisis, increasingly described as a civil war, was at a "critical time."

8:10 A leading Syrian opposition group warned Tuesday it will look for "alternative" ways to confront President Bashar al-Assad if the UN Security Council does not pass a resolution threatening sanctions.